Posted By Viva Sarah Press On July 25, 2011 @ 12:00 am In | No Comments

If you want to buy the latest in Israeli fashion design, Tel Aviv’s Gan Hahashmal neighborhood is the best destination.

There are many places to shop in Tel Aviv. But if you’re looking for original, made-in-Israel designer wares, Gan Hahashmal – the Electric Garden – is the place to come.

The area takes it name from the power plant opened in 1923 in what was then the British mandate of Palestine. It was Israel’s first neighborhood with a power plant. It started as a quaint location, but fell into decline in the 1950s and is now in the process of gentrification.

Photo by Gili Yaari / Flash 90

Women’s wear boutique Brushner at Gan Hahashmal.

A few years ago, Tel Aviv’s municipality converted the historic power station structures, paved over the original garden and installed pedestrian-friendly walkways and seating.

In the last 10 years, young designers looking for a place to set up their studios, moved into Gan Hahashmal because rent was cheaper than elsewhere in Tel Aviv, but now it’s become a desired destination for designers of jewelry, fashion, and bags.

“I choose to work here because it’s an interesting place, a place that stimulates inspiration,” says jewelry designer Hagar Satat.